PNCWA Mentoring Program for Professional Growth

Our PNCWA Mentoring Program encourages PNCWA professionals to connect with each other and work toward a relationship that fosters personal and professional growth for both the mentor and protégé. PNCWA matches mentors and protégés based on shared interests, profession, and region and provides a Mentoring Guide to help teams get moving in the right direction.

The mentoring program is just one of the many benefits of being a PNCWA member and presents a great opportunity for our members to connect with and learn from one another. Feedback has been positive over the past few years and we are passionate about continuing to make this program successful. If you’re interested in participating, please take the online pairing survey and we’ll get you paired up with a mentor or protégé.

Participate as a Mentor or a Protégé

The Mentoring Program survey is now open, and pairing will begin later this winter. Each mentor/protégé will be notified of their pairing via email, and the journey begins as soon as each mentor/protégé accepts the pairing and commits to developing the relationship! Teams are encouraged to meet for at least an hour every other month, but we leave it up to the mentor and protégé to set their own goals and determine which method(s) of communication work best for them.

Please complete the survey by February 21, 2020. We will start pairing teams shortly after.

Please note that the survey can be completed at any point during the year, so you can still participate in the program if you miss the deadline. However, after the initial pairing, we won’t do another round (or rounds, depending on need) of pairing for a month or two (if we get additional respondents to the survey). Therefore, please complete the survey by the deadline if you’re interested in participating so you have as much of the year as possible to dedicate to the program.

Accept the mentor or protégé you’re paired with or request a change if desired.

Commit six hours of your time to touch base between February and this year's PNCWA Annual Conference.

► Download and review the Mentoring Guide: PNCWA has developed a Mentoring Guide to help mentoring teams brainstorm valuable topics to discuss during the mentoring sessions. These sessions can cover any topic of interest. Topic suggestions in the Mentoring Guide include technical skills, interpersonal skills, career path, and resumes. Mentoring teams are also encouraged to set goals during their first session to provide a roadmap for the year. The Mentorship Programming Team will host an optional, brief orientation phone call for program participants in early March to provide the teams with a suggested framework for the mentoring sessions and answer any questions.

► Interested but missed the survey deadline? Please note that the survey can be completed at any point during the year, so you can still participate in the program if you miss the deadline. However, after the initial pairing, we won’t do another round of pairing for a month or two based on the additional survey responses we receive. Completing the survey in February is encouraged to receive the full benefit of the entire program duration.

Similar to last year, we are encouraging mentoring teams to complete their commitments prior to the PNCWA Annual Conference. The conference is also a great time to set up an in-person meeting if you have been communicating with your team member long distance. If you can’t make the conference this year, that’s okay. You are still encouraged to participate in the mentorship program.

Check Out Our Testimonials

► From a mentor: “This program did a great job in matching me with a protégée who was in a similar field enabling, us to find a common ground quickly and even partner on a business opportunity!”

► From a mentor: “This is a great way to get to know young engineers and gain insights from them while sharing your own experience.”

► From a protégé: “The PNCWA Mentoring Program helped me to learn more about our industry. It was good to learn from another point of view and hear the experiences from my mentor. Thank you PNCWA for this helpful program.”